Have you ever noticed that when you experience a great
insight or period of healing or growth in your journey that accompanying that
is often a burning desire to share that insight or healing with someone
else? When sharing this insight or
healing, what is the response? Is it
excited acceptance or the blank stare of incomprehension? If you were in sales, you would be fortunate
if 10% comprised former.
The truth is most people will not be able to comprehend or accept the
insight or healing balm you feel compelled to share.
This was the truth observed by Jesus of Nazareth as he sent
his disciples out to share the good news of God's love in the world:
Whatever town or village you enter, look for those in it ready to
receive the message of God's love and stay with them until you leave. As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is willing to receive, let your
peace come upon it; if not, your peace shall return to you. Whoever will not receive you or listen to
your words - go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
(Matthew 10: 10-14)
Not everyone is willing or able to receive the message of
peace, joy and love that Jesus and other teachers like him came to share with
the world. As such, not everyone is
willing or able to share the insights or healing that you receive as you grow in
your spiritual journey. The invitation
in the face of this truth is to embrace the Buddhist practice of "non-attachment". In this practice, we openly and freely share
the love, peace and joy that we have come to embrace in our lives with no
attachment to how this love is received.
This is a challenging practice to embrace when we are tied up with the
egoic desire to be accepted. Once we let
go of this attachment, we are able to freely and openly share the truths we
have come to embrace regardless of how this is being received.
The invitation this week is to begin the practice of
non-attachment. Continue to freely and
openly share your truth in the world, with no attachment to how it is being
received. And if you find that a
challenge, try the mantra I have learned to embrace as a parent, "I
know nothing and I have nothing to teach my children (sisters, parents,
brothers, etc.)." Share your
truth freely and openly and have no attachment to how it will be received. Regardless of how it is being received the
fact remains that only in expressing our truth shall we truly be free.
